Browsing by Author "De Silva, ML"

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item: Conference-Abstract
Comparative study of green building rating systems : in terms of water efficiency and conservation
Waidyasekara, KGAS; De Silva, ML; Rameezdeen, R
The construction industry puts a great effort on achieving sustainable development. This is because in the construction industry a lot of natural resources are being consumed. Water is one of the most important natural resources for the development of all economic activities taking place to care for the environment and quality of life in the society. Therefore, availability and management of water resources is essential for a long term sustainability of any country. At present, many environmental assessment tools or green building rating systems developed and accepted by many countries. Simply, green building rating systems provide best standards and assist to fulfil green building practices. Each rating system addressed key sustainable parameters: energy, water, site, indoor environmental quality and materials in order to build sustainable environment. Since freshwater scarcity has become a global issue, this paper aims to investigate how and in what strategies water efficiency and conservation is discussed in the existing green building rating systems. Primarily, literature review and documentary review were used as the main research method. The eleven green building rating systems which are designed for new construction were considered and were analysed to compare in terms of the key requirements/strategies and credits awarded for water efficiency and conservation in the rating systems. It was found that in terms of water, intention of each rating system is to reduce potable water consumption compared to the benchmark buildings. It further address in many directions to conserve and monitor water throughout the project life cycle. However, few rating systems have only addressed water conservation and water pollution during the construction phase. Furthermore, the paper enables to analyse the priority given for the water efficiency compared to other sustainable parameters.
item: Conference-Abstract
Corruption in Sri Lankan Construction Industry
Hadiwattege, C; De Silva, ML; Pathirage, C
Construction industry plays a major role in the Sri Lankan economy. This research has been conducted to examine whether the construction industry of Sri Lanka is corrupted and is there any cost amplification due to corruption. In achieving the research aim and objectives, survey method was followed together with case studies where necessary. Data analysis was carried out mainly with the usage of statistical tools. Results show that the people involved in the sector believe that the construction industry of Sri Lanka is corrupted and corruption amplifies the cost of construction which finally cascade down to the general public. The research is also concerned about the situations where corruption occurs more frequently in the construction life cycles and the reasons for heavy presence of corruption within the industry. Further the researcher has identified the major effects of corruption. Through this research a model to calculate the cost amplification due to corruption has been formed and verified. With the foundation established, it is needed to concern more and discover suitable remedial measures to eliminate corruption from the Sri Lankan construction industry.
item: Conference-Full-text
A critical review of water studies in construction industry
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2014-06) Waidyasekara, KGAS; De Silva, ML; Rameezdeen, R; Sandanayake, YG; Fernando, NG; Karunasena, GI
Water is not only a basic need of human beings, but also a strategic economic resource. However, the distribution of water throughout the earth is diverse. At present, water is a challengeable natural resource for many countries and some studies predicted that the world will face a water dilemma in 2025-2030, if not consumed in sustainable way. Moreover, population growth, climate change, and industrialisation are critical factors that impact on the water sector and ultimately result in freshwater shortage and continued water pollution. The current practice considers water as a separate sectoral box in many economic evaluations although water is an integrated resource in many industries. Therefore, the time has come to think out of the box with the cohesiveness of sustainable development. It is a known fact that the construction industry too uses water in almost all the activities and without water no more construction is possible. However, water management during construction is given less attention by the industry stakeholders at present. This is despite an upsurge in the demand for construction activities both in building and civil engineering projects due to speedy industrialisation to cater for the population growth. This paper is based on the literature review of an on-going PhD research. The paper critically reviews the secondary data on water studies conducted in the construction industry. The views and findings on water handling during the physical construction, and strategies towards sustainable water consumption in construction industry are also discussed. In addition, the paper identifies four critical drivers that impact on sustainable practices of water use during the physical construction phase.
item: Conference-Abstract
A Critical review of water Studies in construction industry
Waidyasekara, KGAS; De Silva, ML
Water is not only a basic need of human beings, but also a strategic economic resource. However, the distribution of water throughout the earth is diverse. At present, water is a challengeable natural for many countries and some studies predicted that the world will face a water dilemma in 2025-2030, if not consumed in sustainable way. Moreover, population growth, climate change, and industrialisation are critical factors that impact on the water sector and ultimately result in freshwater shortage and continued water pollution. The current practice considers water as a separate sectoral box in many economic evaluations although water is an integrated resource in many industries. Therefore, the time has come to think out of the box with the cohesiveness ofsustainable development. It is a known fact that the construction industry too uses water in almost all the activities and without water no more construction is possible. However, water management during construction is given less attention by the industry stakeholders at present. This is despite an upsurge in the demand for construction activities both in building and civil engineering projects due to speedy industrialisation to cater for the population growth. This paper is based on the literature review of an on-going PhD research. The paper critically reviews the secondary data on water studies conducted in the construction industry. The views and findings on water handling during the physical construction, and strategies towards sustainable water consumption in construction industry are also discussed. In addition, the paper identifies four critical drivers that impact on sustainable practices of water use during the physical construction phase.
item: Conference-Abstract
Differentiating green buildings from conventional buildings : environmental performance perspective
Mallawarachchi, H; De Silva, ML; Rameezdeen, R
In the current situation, where people concerns about sustainability environment, building occupants seek to be comfortable and productive in their workplace. Occupants with local control over their environment generally have an improvement in their work effort and productivity. However, work productivity of occupants can be de-motivated and interrupted due to poor environmental conditions. Thus, the intervention to ensure a healthy working environment should always be the first step towards improving productivity. In the governing concern on improving occupant's working environment. Green Building movement is fast becoming a necessity. It is therefore impressive that there is already emerging national consensus on the definition of a green building and a rapidly increasing number of green projects in both the public and private sectors. Green buildings can be defined in various ways however, giving definition compared to ‘conventional ’ buildings is a supplementary problem. There is no doubt that the term has a veiy positive connotation. Further, green buildings generate lot of benefits to people and the environment. However, no evidence that the level of occupant comfort and satisfaction greater in ‘green ' rather than conventional buildings. Hence, this study was aimed to identify facts for differentiating green buildings from conventional buildings in terms of environmental performance. The available literature was reviewed and preliminary investigation was conducted in selected green rated and non-green buildings. The indoor environment quality criteria which is developed based on GREENSL® rating system was evaluated in selected buildings to identify differences between green and conventional buildings. According to the results of literature survey and preliminary investigation, green buildings showed high environmental performance compared to conventional buildings in terms of indoor air quality, thermal comfort and lighting quality whilst there was a less satisfaction with acoustic comfort in green buildings. However, the success of green buildings depends on the quality and efficiency of the installed green systems. The rating system can be used as the common language and standards of measurement to define green buildings, differentiating from conventional buildings.
item: Thesis-Full-text
The Ergonomics issues of operational level employees in zoos-a case of national zoo in Sri Lanka
(2017) Nimanthi, GWH; De Silva, ML
A zoo or zoological garden is a park where captive animals often from all over the world, live and are exhibited to visitors. Occupational ill-health problems in zoos can be caused by any or a combination of exposure to harmful substances, inhalation of harmful particles, poor working practices such as excessive or inappropriate manual handling, environmental factors, such as noise, poor light or cramped working conditions and diseases transmitted by animals. Ergonomics can be described as a system of interaction between components in the workplace, which include the worker, the work environment (both physical and organizational), the task and the workspace. In manual handling, if done incorrectly or inappropriately it can result in one of several disorders of the muscles, joints and bones. The main cause is neglect of ergonomics principles which leads to bring inefficiency and discomfort to the workers. There is often an acute lack of awareness of ergonomics issues, education and training programmes and certification within developing countries. Ergonomics is the new phenomenon to Sri Lanka and studying and analyzing ergonomics related problems is still draw low acceptance and limited application in the zoos in Sri Lanka. The literature survey was done to identify the concept of ergonomics and the elements of ergonomics. It also describes the ergonomic risk factors which are relevant to zoo workers. The case study approach was figured out as the best research approach for this research while observations, preliminary survey questionnaires and semi structured interviews were selected as the best methods to collect data. Also, the research has executed through both quantitative and qualitative research analysis techniques. Statistical analysis including descriptive statistics, likert-scale and RII (Relative Importance Index) as well as content analysis were used for data analysis of this research. As per the results of the pilot survey analysis, the indirect ergonomic risk factors are the age limit, work experience and number of working hours. Based on these findings, expose to dust, expose to odour, poor conditioned tools, poor condition of machines, poor work design, poor communication, lack of work training and lack of involvement in decision making are the major ergonomic risk factors in the zoo. In addition to that, the survey was found that the discomforts among operational level employees due to poor ergonomics in the zoo are low back pain, discomforts in thigh/ knee and discomforts in hand/wrist. The illnesses found are tiredness, eye weakness, extensive sweating, muscular pain and numbness. Based on the results of observations, preliminary questionnaire survey and interview it can be concluded that the current practice of ergonomics in the zoo exist at a low level.
item: Conference-Full-text
An evaluation of the outcomes of the urban development plans with special reference to moratuwa urban development plan
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2013-06) Ranasinghe, TKGP; De Silva, ML; Sandanayake, YG; Fernando, NG
Plan outcome evaluation (POE) is very significant rather than focusing on planning process, usefulness of plan, content and quality of plan. POE has been ignored in the field of planning due to lack of proper POE method.This study focuses on the ex post facto evaluation considering the outcomes of action projects of development plans and aim to develop a POE method to evaluate outcomes of development plan towards the achievement of its objectives quantitatively since no one has made such an attempt. Achieving outcomes of development plan directly affect for sustainable urbanisation. A comprehensive literature survey revealed that adaptation of the components of objective driven, theory-driven and theory-based, utilization-driven and theoretical data-driven evaluation methods will lead to overcome related issues on plan outcome evaluation and identified basic four steps suitable to incorporate in any POE method.This developed POE method comprises four steps including mathematical models. Field surveys and questionnaire surveys were carried out to identify public perception on achievement of outcomes of action projects. Developed POE method can be used as a progress monitoring tool and as an outcome evaluation tool. This POE method will be a useful tool for planners, project managers and policy makers to improve planning practices and provide necessary knowledge for revising plansin order to ensure the sustainable urbanisation. This study can be extended to evaluate the outcomes of development plan when objectives are clear and measurable further considering theory, process and objectives driven methods.
item: Conference-Abstract
An Evaluation on the adoption of leed green building rating system in the Sri Lankan context
Jayasinghe, V; De Silva, ML
Building design and construction activities worldwide have caused immense environmental issues. Thus. the concept of green buildings emerged focusing on increasing the efficiency of resource use -energy, water and materials while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment. Many green building rating systems have been developed by various countries while Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) of the United States is the most widely accepted throughout the world Yet. a benchmark for green buildings in Sri Lanka has not been established Therefore, this research paper presents the findings of a research which aimed at evaluating the LEED for New Construction (LEED-NC) green building rating systemfor its adoption in the Sri Lankan context. A quantitative research approach was followed to achieve the objectives. The preliminary survey identified the factors affecting the adoption of green building requirements locally while the detailed questionnaire survey evaluated the professionals' perception regarding the LEED-NC credit requirements in terms of three factors identified in the preliminary survey, namely, environmental compatibility, technical feasibility and initial incremental cost. Thefindings revealed that almost all of the LEED-NC credit points are environmentally compatible and technically feasible in Sri Lanka. Further, most of the credits were found to be achievable without incurring significant initial incremental costs. In addition, a strong link was observed between credit adoption patterns of LEEDNC credits in the existing LEED accredited green buildings and the above three parameters portraying that these parameters influence the adoption of LEED-NC credit requirements in Sri Lanka.
item: Article-Abstract
Forecasting of cost escalations in post disaster construction with special reference to tsunami rreconstruction in Sri Lanka
De Silva, ML
Since 1999, Sri Lanka tends to be in an area prone to natural hazards. In the recent past, the biggest devastation took place on 26th December 2004 when enormous destruction to both life and property was caused by a Tsunami. It was a recorded turning point as awareness was generated on losses and its consequences to the construction industry. In this context it was thought appropriate to initiate this research to find out the effects of natural disasters on construction cost. After a comprehensive literature survey, it was observed that natural disasters have a direct relationship to construction cost increment in addition to increment in construct demand, the fuel price increment and inflation rate. A unit was proposed to quantify the natural disasters as a guide line for establishing the relationship between construction cost increment and natural disasters. The unit named “ND” and 1 ND = 10,000 damaged or destroyed houses . Statistical data analysis reveals that there is a positive and very strong relationship between natural disasters and construction cost increment (coefficient correlation is as high as 0.966). Another very significant issue is that when natural disasters take place in a particular year; the overall housing construction cost in the following year will be affected. This is because the overall reconstruction process and the time taken to constructing houses is very slow. The construction cost of houses has gone up rapidly during recent past and the trend will keep away the desire of many to own a house. The ad hoc natural disasters have contributed to skyrocketing of the construction cost of house building.
item: Conference-Abstract
Green building concept to facilitating high quality indoor environment for building occupants in Sri Lanka
Mallawaarachchi, BH; De Silva, ML; Rameezdeen, R; Chandrathilaka, SR
Well-being is an important aspect determining the quality of life of an occupant. Hence, it is essential to have a good indoor environmental quality, as it affects the productivity and health of such occupants. Further, indoor air quality, acoustic, day-lighting and thermal comfort contribute to better indoor environment quality, and have a positive effect on an occupant's productivity and performance. Accordingly, many studies believed that the green building design will become more common practice once the human benefits are identified, primarily the productivity gains believed to be associated with the provision of high quality indoor environments. Hence, buildings are increasingly designed or required to be ‘green’ in recent years, giving the quality of the indoor environment new importance. Therefore, several green building assessment tools have been applied worldwide namely, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency (CASBEE) and Green Star etc in facilitating high quality indoor environment. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) has considered as a major criteria in such tools. Thus, various IEQ factors relate to temperature and humidity, acoustic, ventilation, indoor air quality, day lighting and lighting quality, thermal comfort and access to views have been considered in these techniques. Similarly in Sri Lanka, GREENSL® Rating System is applied for buildings in local context so as to obtain green certification. Even though, it emerges IEQ as an important aspect, it is considerably less compared to other domains. Thus, four green assessment tools were suggested which can be applied for buildings in Sri Lankan context through the review of key research papers. Accordingly, such green building tools can be considered for Sri Lankan buildings as a new concept/tool or even the existing system can be further enhanced so as to provide a better quality indoor environment for building occupants.
item: Conference-Full-text
Green building concept to facilitating high quality indoor environment for building occupants in Sri Lanka
(2012-06) Mallawaarachchi, BH; De Silva, ML; Rameezdeen, R; Chandrathilaka, SR; Mallawaarachchi, B.H., De Silva, M.L., Rameezdeen, R., & Chandrathilaka, S.R. (2012). Green building concept to facilitating high quality indoor environment for building occupants in Sri Lanka. In S. Senaratne & Y.G. Sandanayake (Eds.), Global challenges in construction industry (pp. 237-246). Ceylon Institute of Builders. https://ciobwcs.com/downloads/WCS2012-Proceedings.pdf; Senaratne, S; Sandanayake, YG
Well-being is an important aspect determining the quality of life of an occupant. Hence, it is essential to have a good indoor environmental quality, as it affects the productivity and health of such occupants. Further, indoor air quality, acoustic, day-lighting and thermal comfort contribute to better indoor environment quality, and have a positive effect on an occupant's productivity and performance. Accordingly, many studies believed that the green building design will become more common practice once the human benefits are identified, primarily the productivity gains believed to be associated with the provision of high quality indoor environments. Hence, buildings are increasingly designed or required to be ‘green’ in recent years, giving the quality of the indoor environment new importance. Therefore, several green building assessment tools have been applied worldwide namely, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency (CASBEE) and Green Star etc in facilitating high quality indoor environment. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) has considered as a major criteria in such tools. Thus, various IEQ factors relate to temperature and humidity, acoustic, ventilation, indoor air quality, day lighting and lighting quality, thermal comfort and access to views have been considered in these techniques. Similarly in Sri Lanka, GREENSL® Rating System is applied for buildings in local context so as to obtain green certification. Even though, it emerges IEQ as an important aspect, it is considerably less compared to other domains. Thus, four green assessment tools were suggested which can be applied for buildings in Sri Lankan context through the review of key research papers. Accordingly, such green building tools can be considered for Sri Lankan buildings as a new concept/tool or even the existing system can be further enhanced so as to provide a better quality indoor environment for building occupants.
item: Article-Abstract
Identification and assessment risks in maintenance operations
Wijeratne, WMPU; Perera, BAKS; De Silva, ML
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify the risks and methods for their assessment in the case of maintenance activities in Sri Lanka. The main objectives were to idenhfy theoc^pabonai risks in maintenance work and the risk assessment methods m place and their drawbacks in the Desiga/methodologyapproach - The identification and assessment of risks were undertaken through a study of three fast-moving consumer products manufacturing organisations. The relevant •data w£re collected through personal interviews and site visits. Findings - Most typical risks associated with maintenance are cute, slips and falls, with severe or fatal injuries as the result of negligence of SOP and failure to use the PPE. Checklists, brainstorming and decomposition techniques were identified as the preferred methods m maintenance for nsk identification while a risk rating matrix is used for risk analysis. Lack of awareness and indifference towards risk assessment; make effective risk assessment very difficult These drawbacks can be minimised by education, systematic training and enforcing rules, regulations and procedures for Originality/value - Studies on maintenance worldwide have identified several maintenance-specific risks such as working at heights, the pressure of time, etc However, there is a dearth of published research on risks and risk assessment methods in maintenance m Sri Lankan context The findings highlighted the safety risks and risk assessment tools entailed in the maintenance operanons of manufacturing organisations. The findings will be useful for those m maintenance operations in managing risks effectively through designing work environments that are nsk-tree.
item: Conference-Abstract
Importance of occupants’ expectations for acceptance of green buildings : a literature review
Mallawaarachchi, BH; De Silva, ML; Rameezdeen, R
The buildings, where people live, work, and protect people from nature’s extremes, yet they also affect human health and environment in countless ways. The increasing consensus on climate change has resulted in escalating demands on the public to make better environmental choices in building construction. The term 'green design' has been used fairly consistently over the past decade to emphasize such environmental performance of buildings. Many studies have found that the construction clients are demanding assurance of their buildings’ long-term economic and environmental performance and costs. Further, the occupants have been favourably disposed to green buildings from their conventional environments. Moreover, in the early stages of a ti'ansition towards sustainability, the priorities placed on environmental issues are subscribed by society as a whole and those implicit in building owner's priorities and expectations. Hence, the modem practice has extended and complemented the conventional building construction process to achieve sustainable or high performance building. Accordingly, key1 research papers were reviewed in this research paper in order to identify occupants ’ expectations and its importance for the acceptance of green building. Literature stated that there is more potential to change the existing buildings to be more 'green ’, as the quality of built environment is a major expectation of building occupants. Further, most of the occupants expect quality indoor environment with properly controlled and maintained temperature, humidity, noise, lighting and thermal comfort parameters within buildings. It is due to the certainty of reaching their expectations specially to obtain comfortable working environment. TIence, it implies that the occupants ’ expectations are significance for the acceptance of any green building specially in moving from their typical working environments. The reason is that the poor fit between the built environment and the needs and expectations of the occupants may lead to dissatisfaction, health issues and productivity losses.
item: Conference-Full-text
Indoor Environmental Quality and Occupants’ Productivity: Green Certified Office Buildings in Sri Lanka
(2015-08-20) Mallawaarachchi, H; De Silva, ML; Rameezedeen, R
There is a potential link between indoor environment and occupants’ productivity, which has identified in previous literature. Especially, there is an effect of the quality of indoor environment, where, people spend 90% of their time indoors. Indoor Environmental Quality is become a growing concern to ensure occupants’ health, wellbeing, and personal productivity. However, the deficiency of research in this area gave an importance to conduct this study. Accordingly, this research is to determine the relationship between Indoor Environmental Quality and occupants’ productivity in green buildings. Survey approach was selected under quantitative phenomenon, as this research is focused to determine the relationship between variables quantitatively. Both questionnaire survey and semistructured interviews were conducted among occupants in green certified office buildings in Sri Lanka. The survey data was analysed using nonparametric statistical analysis techniques; significance testing and Spearman’s Correlation. SPSSv.20 software was used in data analysis. The Indoor Environmental Quality factors identified through literature were evaluated to identify significant factors influencing occupants’ productivity. According to the test statistics, seven significant factors were identified as the first stage of data analysis where they showed statistically significant correlation to the major Indoor Environmental Quality dimensions. As the second stage of analysis, the relationship between Indoor Environmental Quality factors and occupants’ productivity was determined. As the test results showed, air quality and acoustical partitioning factors confirmed a statistically significant weakly positive monotonic correlation whilst system control showed strongly positive monotonic correlation to the occupants’ productivity in green buildings. The test results were further discussed by stating the qualitative findings and extant literature. As the outcome of this research, the relationship between significant Indoor Environmental Quality factors and occupants’ productivity was reviewed and evaluated. As per the findings of the research, facilitating more provisions on air quality and acoustic quality would effect to ensure the productivity improvements of green building occupants.
item: Conference-Abstract
Industry stakeholder perceptions on water management in construction industry in Sri Lanka : preliminary survey
Waidyasekara, KGAS; De Silva, ML; Rameezdeen, R
In Sri Lanka, there has not yet been any widely published research that describes sustainable strategies to build up water efficient culture in construction* industry. Prudent use of natural resources is one of the principles of sustainable development. Thus, it is important to encompass water efficient culture in construction industry like many other industries, because it uses water in almost all activities. Although, construction industry inclusively integrates resource efficiency, less attention has been paid on water conseivation and management aspects yet to come. This is an ongoing research and ultimate aim is to develop a sustainable strategic framework to enhance water efficient culture in building construction industry. This paper intends to provide insights on how industiy stakeholder perception on the current water management practices in construction industry. The research method adopted for the study was qualitative. Unstructured .interviews were conducted among the different disciplines who were involved during the construction project life cycle. The study integrated voices of, project managers, site engineers and quantity surveyors. The preliminary survey findings showed that in construction sites, sustainable aspects are not yet implementing properly in terms of water consumption and identified many critical aspects need to be considered. Site practice, worker behavior and attitudes, stakeholder priority and responsibilities and integrity of sustainable concepts during the design and construction are few important aspects among them. In addition, the authors believed individual and management commitment are critical factors that impact on enhancing water efficient culture in construction sites. Further, the paper suggested the requirement of water management culture during the construction to meet sustainable goals and to provide fewer burdens to the water sources in Sri Lanka.
item: Conference-Abstract
Occupants’ satisfaction on green certified factory buildings in Sri Lanka
Monarange, BS; De Silva, ML; Rajini, PAD; Hemachandra, KGKN
Factory buildings play an important role in socio-economic environment in Sri Lanka while significantly contributing to the resource consumption. Therefore, the application of green building concept, which ensures the well-being of both human and environment is crucial to this end. While leaving a lighter footprint on the environment, a successful green building should be able to meet the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort requirements. The occupants‘ satisfaction also needs to be given a special attention as it directly relates with the occupants‘ productivity. However, a lack of concern on the occupants‘ satisfaction can be seen in green factory buildings in Sri Lanka and thus, the research aimed at investigating the occupants‘ satisfaction and identify the causes for dissatisfaction if any. A semi structured questionnaire survey was conducted among total of 50 occupants selected from five green factory buildings in order to identify their level of satisfaction. The Mean Weighted Rating method was employed for data analysis. The research identified that the satisfaction level of occupants is at a good level though the occupants‘ dissatisfaction in green factory buildings was mainly caused by difficulties engaged with adjusting the light, room temperature, and room ventilation levels.
item: Conference-Abstract
Quality assurance of low cost building construction
Kanagaratnam, H; De Silva, ML; Hadiwattege, C
Construction industry is complex in nature, therefore quality assurance is paramount important and it is absolutely interconnected with cost. Quality is essentially a state of mind; it varies from individual to individual. In the concept of low cost building onstruction, the achievement of an acceptable standard in buildings is a combination of quality of design and construction and quality of maintenance. With this perspective the research problem addressed here is related to the gap in knowledge to be filled in the area of quality assurance in low cost building construction in Sri Lanka which has not much of attention have been paid. This study therefore has been conducted to answer the issues of quality assurance in the low cost constructions which is having a critical comparative importance. The research methodology adoptedfor this study is both quantitative and qualitative, within which a survey and few case studies were used to investigate the research question. The primary data collection techniques used in the case studies was questionnaires, interviews and observations. Content analysis and statistical tools were used to analyze primary data. The study has identified that even though ICTAD is required to maintain the ISO 9000 quality standards for the construction works, majority of the low cost constructions are not adhered to the standards in an effective manner and end up with quite a lot of quality issues as well. Further, researchers suggest some good practices to be maintained for better quality assurance in low cost buildings which are practically achievable but unfortunately not in the current construction practice.
item: Conference-Abstract
Risk and risk assessment methods in industrial maintenance in sri lanka
Wijeratne, WMPU; Perera, BAKS; De Silva, ML
Studies on industrial maintenance operations worldwide have identified several maintenance specific risks such as working at heights, the pressure of time, etc. However, there is a dearth of published research on risks and risk assessment methods in industrial maintenance in the case of Sri Lanka. This study therefore aims at identifying the risks and risk assessment methods in industrial maintenance in Sri Lanka. The main objectives of the study were to identify the occupational risks and safety issues in maintenance work and the risk assessment methods in place in the Sri Lankan context. This was undertaken through a study of three manufacturing organisations which are involved in producing fastmoving consumer products. According to the findings, the risks which affect maintenance work can be categorised as organisational risks, unsafe acts and local workplace risks. The findings indicate that the most typical risks associated with maintenance are cuts, slips and falls, with severe or fatal injuries the result of worker disregard for standard operating procedures and/or failure to use the protective equipment provided. It was also found that check lists, brainstorming, and decomposition techniques are the preferred methods in maintenance for risk identification while a risk-rating matrix is used for risk analysis. The findings of the study highlight the safety risks entailed in the maintenance operations of manufacturing organisations and the risk assessment tools used in identifying the risks. The findings of the research will be useful for those in industrial maintenance operations for the purpose of managing risks effectively by designing work environments that are risk-fee and for educating workers on the importance of paying due attention to risks and the need to follow instructions that are in place on safety procedures in the workplace.
item: Conference-Full-text
Risks and risk assessment methods in industrial maintenance in Sri Lanka
(2012-06) Wijeratne, WMPU; Parera, BAKS; De Silva, ML; Wijeratne, W.M.P.U., Parera, B.A.K.S. & De Silva, M.L. (2012). Risks and risk assessment methods in industrial maintenance in Sri Lanka. In S. Senaratne & Y.G. Sandanayake (Eds.), Global challenges in construction industry (pp. 407-416). Ceylon Institute of Builders. https://ciobwcs.com/downloads/WCS2012-Proceedings.pdf; Senaratne, S; Sandanayake, YG
Studies on industrial maintenance operations worldwide have identified several maintenance specific risks such as working at heights, the pressure of time, etc. However, there is a dearth of published research on risks and risk assessment methods in industrial maintenance in the case of Sri Lanka. This study therefore aims at identifying the risks and risk assessment methods in industrial maintenance in Sri Lanka. The main objectives of the study were to identify the occupational risks and safety issues in maintenance work and the risk assessment methods in place in the Sri Lankan context. This was undertaken through a study of three manufacturing organisations which are involved in producing fastmoving consumer products. According to the findings, the risks which affect maintenance work can be categorised as organisational risks, unsafe acts and local workplace risks. The findings indicate that the most typical risks associated with maintenance are cuts, slips and falls, with severe or fatal injuries the result of worker disregard for standard operating procedures and/or failure to use the protective equipment provided. It was also found that check lists, brainstorming, and decomposition techniques are the preferred methods in maintenance for risk identification while a risk-rating matrix is used for risk analysis. The findings of the study highlight the safety risks entailed in the maintenance operations of manufacturing organisations and the risk assessment tools used in identifying the risks. The findings of the research will be useful for those in industrial maintenance operations for the purpose of managing risks effectively by designing work environments that are risk-fee and for educating workers on the importance of paying due attention to risks and the need to follow instructions that are in place on safety procedures in the workplace.
item: Conference-Abstract
Significance of minimizing non-value adding activities in construction processes using lean techniques
Thilakarathna, N; De Silva, ML
Non value- adding activities (NVAAs) generated in the construction processes are recognized as major weaknesses that hinder performance and efficiency. Activities that do not add value to the final product are simply a waste and should be minimized or eliminated. The greatest obstacle to minimize NVAAs in general is failure to recognize it. Most of these activities are intangible and invisible. However fewer attempts have been made to minimize the NVAAs in construction processes. Lean construction is an effort to apply lean production principles to the construction industry to eliminate NVAAs from the construction processes and to maximize value to clients. However, the industry lacks an implementation framework to minimize NVAAs in construction processes and this research aims to develop a framework for minimization of non-value adding activities in construction processes using lean techniques. A detailed literature review was carried out to investigate the lean implementation in construction processes in order to identify the widely used lean techniques and to identify the NVAAs in construction processes. Quantitative research techniques were adopted aiming data collection from two different groups of professionals in order to recognize NVAAs in the construction processes in Sri Lanka and to investigate the current level of implementation of lean techniques in construction processes. This paper reports the level of existence of non-value adding activities and the level of implementing the lean technique in Sri Lankan construction industry and emphasizes the need for developing a framework for minimizing NVAAs in construction processes using lean techniques. Data collection of this study was limited to Sri Lankan construction projects initialed recently and their professionals by focusing the construction stage of building projects.